Favourite Discoveries 2013 (8)

I’m always keen to discover new home-grown crime authors so would like to highlight Hull-based writer Nick Quantrill as my favourite discovery of 2013. Currently the author of three titles featuring private investigator Joe Geraghty - BROKEN DREAMS, THE LATE GREATS and THE CROOKED BEAT - Quantrill perfectly captures not only the past glories of Hull’s history in terms of its importance as a major port, but also how the intervening years have led to an all too familiar story of deprivation and change on a once thriving city. However, despite the underlying darkness of a city’s ruination, Quantrill balances the more positive aspects of Hull and its inhabitants with an affectionate and mildly teasing tone, particularly through the character of Joe Geraghty himself, in this assured and very readable series.

Each book has an entirely believable premise highlighting the less than honest citizens that Geraghty finds himself investigating, all the while tapping into the gritty realism of life in the North, and the inevitable scrapes that Geraghty finds himself in. Unlike some authors, Quantrill does not resort to the lazy imitation of wise-cracking PIs that so many rely on, instead bringing to the reader an entirely more realistic depiction of his investigator’s daily entanglements in each investigation and the ups and downs of Geraghty’s personal life and relationships. A strong series so far, and definitely one for you to discover for yourselves.